The archive for Art Trujillo's award-winning column

Monthly Archives: January 2007

A few years ago, before caller ID, I got a call from a young woman seeking donations to Highlands University for scholarships. Why was I suspicious? Well, for starters, she asked to speak to Mr. True-Jill- oh. I’ve pointed out in previous columns that the unusual Anglicizing of my name has its benefits, as it provides reasonable assurance that the caller is up to selling something or asking for a donation to some charity. Continue reading →

Isn’t it amazing what people can do with words? Try speaking the following string of words: the teacher said the student is a fool. Most people, taking these words in order, and without compunction or punctuation, would assume the teacher holds the student in low esteem. But dolly up the sentence with commas and quotation marks and you have the opposite meaning: “The teacher,” said the student, “is a fool.” Guess which pupil qualifies for semester-long blackboard-cleaning duty.

A couple of photos in this week’s Optic provide proof that Christmas comes but once a year, for little ones and loved ones dear. Even if it comes late.
My first glance at the Christmas gift-tendering photos convinced me that the photographer, Don Pace, had forgotten to develop the photos in a timely matter. But “develop” dates me, way back to the middle 1950s, when I used to “soup” black-and-white film in the Optic darkroom. Continue reading →

This installment more properly ought to be titled “Work of Art(‘s Son).” Having learned that there have been 205 such columns, my son Stan, on vacation from his job in Denmark, asked me to turn the keyboard over to him. I can use the break but take no responsibility for any correct spelling, punctuation or coherence his contribution may contain.
During the ‘80s, Joe and Ginger were a common sight in town. She pushed the shopping cart, heavily loaded but neatly packed with bags and boxes. He always led the way, usually by about 10 feet. Ginger was drab and ordinary looking; her demeanor was quiet and polite. In contrast, Joe was intense, both in appearance and behavior. Continue reading →